Another One of Those Days
by Palmer4President
Summary: After a long day, Bill's thoughts drift to someone on the other side of the country... Minor season 6 spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

**This story just sort of came to me one day out of the blue, so it might not be that great. There's another (much happier) chapter that I'll post tomorrow, but please read this and let me know what you think of it! **

**Warnings: Minor day 6 spoilers**

**Summary: Before day 6, Bill finds himself thinking about someone across the country...**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own 24 or any of its characters. If I did, well, suffice to say that things would be much different. **

The sun had long since risen, set, and risen again over CTU Los Angeles. It had been another one of "those days," as Bill Buchanan had dubbed them. When he'd taken this job, he had gotten used to having these kinds of days every once in a while, but over the past two months, almost every day had been one of "those days." He was physically and mentally exhausted. Unfortunately for Bill and the rest of the CTU staff, the suicide bomber attacks that started eight weeks ago showed no sign of stopping any time soon. All of America would give anything to stop them, but the terrorists were relentless. The best the CTU staff could do was to get sleep whenever there wasn't anything happening on the West Coast.

It was in one of these hiatuses that Bill found himself sitting in the Situation Room with Chloe, who was finishing up a task before heading home to get as much sleep as possible. They had finally finished dealing with a string of suicide bombings all throughout California. There had been several bombings in and around Los Angeles, as well as one in San Diego, San Francisco, and Sacramento. What had prompted the terrorists to hit California so many times in just over a 24 hour period, Bill didn't know. All he knew was that he was glad to see the end of this long day.

Bill closed his eyes and rubbed his temple briefly. On top of everything, a strong headache had been steadily forming for a few hours, and he couldn't wait to get home and find some aspirin. When he re-opened his eyes, he saw Chloe still sitting across the table from him, scowling at her laptop screen and typing away. She seemed oblivious to the fact that everyone else had already left to go home. Bill sighed tiredly.

"Chloe," he said gently. Her head snapped up. "You know you can go home now," Bill reminded her. Chloe's scowl only became more pronounced and she turned back to the computer.

"I've just got a few more tasks to finish and then I'll go," she replied stubbornly.

"Chloe," Bill said again, more forcefully this time. Her head snapped up again. "Go. You need to sleep, and you're not the only person who can do those tasks."

"Yeah, but I'm much more efficient than anyone else," she snapped back. "It would take Michaels an hour to do what I can do in fifteen minutes," she argued. As much as he wanted to, Bill couldn't argue with that logic; it was true. He tried a different tactic.

"I need you to be alert tomorrow, and I'm not above ordering you to go home," he said sternly. Why did Chloe have to be so stubborn? He was telling her to go home, for goodness sake! Most people would jump up and be out the door in seconds if their boss told them to go home.

Chloe glared at him for a long moment as if trying to wear him down through a silent test of wills. When he remained unwavering, she relented. "Fine," she finally huffed. She started off-loading her tasks to Michaels. "I hope you take your own advice, Mr. Buchanan."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Bill asked evenly. Chloe shifted a little like she was trying to find the right words, but she continued on without much hesitation.

"Well, you haven't done very much to hide the bad mood you've been in lately," she stated bluntly. Before he could stop her, she was already continuing as fast as she could talk. "I mean, I know you've been on edge ever since your wife left for DC, but --"

"You know, you are way out of line," Bill interrupted, the volume of his voice steadily rising. "I don't want to hear any more about my problems, understood?" Maybe he was overreacting to Chloe's honest observation, but something about it irritated him. More than Chloe's usual quips did, of course, of which there had been many directed at him.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Chloe replied in her trademark, sarcastically off-hand tone before she continued typing.

Bill propped his elbows up on the table and let his head sink into his hands. Chloe's comment had sparked in him the incredible loneliness that he felt every time he thought about Karen. She had been ordered to Washington two months ago when this crisis had started, and Bill hadn't seen her since. He'd talked to her, sure, and on an almost daily basis at that, but nothing could help that sinking feeling he felt when he went home to an empty house every night. Oh, how he wished he could just see her smile again. He needed to see that beautiful smile, hold her in his arms, and kiss her smiling lips, even if it was just for an afternoon. He didn't know how much longer he could stand being without her.

"God, I miss her," Bill whispered, his head still in his hands. Chloe looked up at him like he had just grown a second head. Bill looked up and, upon seeing her face, quickly stammered, "Uh, I'm, uh, sorry, was that out loud?" A stupid question, really, as Chloe's look was the only answer he needed. He cleared his throat.

"Sorry," he muttered again. Chloe just rolled her eyes and turned her focus back to her laptop. After a few seconds, she closed it up and stuffed it into her bag, which she slung over her shoulder. Without a word, she got up and walked to the door. She opened it and looked like she was about to leave, but almost as an afterthought, she turned back to Bill.

"You know, if you ever wanted to take a day off to fly out to DC, we could handle it here," she informed him. Bill furrowed his eyebrows in slight confusion; this kind of kindness was very un-characteristic of Chloe. It wasn't unwelcome, but it was slightly confusing. But then Chloe added, "Even though Hammond would probably eat you alive if you tried to take a day off in the middle of this crisis, we could still handle it here."

Bill couldn't help but smile. That was more like Chloe. He did appreciate the offer, but she was right; Hammond would have him fired before he could buy a plane ticket.

"Thanks, Chloe," he said anyway. "Now go home. I don't want to see you back here until tomorrow."

"Right." She turned and left without another word. Chloe's abrupt actions and changes of mood never ceased to surprise Bill. _The day I figure out what goes through her mind is the day that I need to quit this job and become a psychiatrist,_ he briefly mused to himself.

After a second, Bill sighed and glanced around the empty room. When he determined that nothing required his immediate attention, he pulled out his cell phone. He had her number on speed dial and she answered after two rings.

"Hayes."

"Hey, it's me," Bill said gently. Karen's heart skipped a beat upon hearing her husband's voice. Her tone immediately softened.

"Hey, I was wondering when I was going to hear from you." She couldn't help but smiling as she spoke. It was a silly habit, she knew, but when she brought it up once with Bill, he insisted that he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm so sorry I haven't called earlier. We've been in up to our necks trying to deal with the latest bombings."

"You don't have to apologize. I can only imagine what it's like out there," Karen replied. "Are you home yet?"

He paused, briefly considering his answer. Karen wouldn't be happy that he was still at CTU, and that he really had no plans of leaving any time soon. However, he knew that he couldn't lie convincingly to her.

"No, I'm not," he said. Before she could argue, he continued, "I need to be here because we're still wrapping up from everything that's happened in the past 24 hours."

"You know you don't have to be there right now, Bill," Karen said sternly, seeing right through his excuse. "Now go home and get some rest."

"Yes ma'am," he replied mock-seriously. Karen wasn't amused.

"I'm serious," she said. "You shouldn't overwork yourself like you tend to do when I'm gone."

"I still have a few more things to do here, but I'll go home after that," Bill answered somewhat defensively. He didn't consider himself a work-a-holic, but there was no denying that he usually found any excuse to stay at work when Karen was out of town.

"Promise?"

Karen's concern for him made Bill miss her even more. Still, he couldn't help but grin at her almost child-like question.

"Yes, I promise," he assured her.

"Good."

"How are you holding up over there?"

"As well as can be expected in the middle of a national crisis." There was a long pause on Karen's end. "I miss you so much," she said quietly.

Bill closed his eyes. Every time she said that, he got an unexplainable guilty feeling that he just couldn't shake. He had encouraged her to take the job as National Security Advisor when Wayne Palmer had offered it to her, despite her initial reservations. He had thought that she would be happier in the long run if she took the job, but now he could see how wrong he had been. He couldn't help but feel solely responsible for causing her unhappiness, something that haunted him whenever he let his guard down.

"I miss you too, sweetheart," he whispered.

"God, I just want this all to end soon so I can come home," Karen stated exhaustedly.

"I know, and we're doing everything we can over here to end this soon," Bill assured her. He was more trying to assure himself than anything, but Karen was glad to hear it too. "And I will personally see to it that we continue to do everything we can," he added almost jokingly. Karen couldn't help but smile.

"I know you will," she said. There was a slight pause before she continued, "Bill, I have to go to a briefing that's starting in a minute. I'll call you later tonight."

Bill knew when he called her that they would be interrupted by some business or another sooner or later. It served as a reminder to him of the incredible distance between them. He just missed having uninterrupted time alone together, even if it was as simple as having dinner together after a long day at work.

"Okay, I'll talk to you then," he replied. "I love you, Karen."

"I love you too."

"Bye."

The phone line went dead as she hung up. Bill closed his phone and just sat there tiredly for a moment. Briefly, he considered calling Brad Hammond at Division to see if he could fly out to DC for a day. He quickly dismissed the idea, though. Oddly enough, Chloe's prediction of what would happen in that situation was probably closer to the truth than it was far from it. No, the only way that he was going to get Karen back any time soon was if this terrorist plot was resolved soon. Bill could only pray that a way out of this crisis presented itself soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2! I originally wrote this little piece of fluff before the end of season 6, so it has become quite AU now. I went back and tried to make it un-AU (for lack of a better term) after the season finale. However, I actually like it better this way, so I decided just to scrap the other ending and go with this. Please read and review if you have the time!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 24.**

Bill could hardly stand still. He checked his watch. 4:04. He glanced at the forgotten newspaper that he had brought to read while he waited. He tried to read the headline article, but none of it actually registered. Something about "the truth behind the terrorist attacks."

_They don't know half of the truth about terrorist attacks,_ Bill thought dimly. He checked his watch anxiously again. 4:05.

Los Angeles International Airport was buzzing with the usual evening activity, but time seemed to have slowed to a crawl for Bill. It was one week to the day after the end of the terrorist attacks, and Karen was on a flight back to Los Angeles. Her flight was due to land at 4:30, but Bill had gotten to the airport extra early, just in case. Unfortunately, it had all been in vain as Karen's flight was still due to arrive at 4:30. Therefore, Bill had been reduced to checking his watch every minute or so, hoping that time would pass quickly.

4:06.

_This is not working,_ Bill thought, frustrated. There was no way that he was going to be able to wait outside of the security checkpoint for his wife to walk through. It was time to come up with plan B.

Bill studied the TSA officers at the checkpoint in front of him. Suddenly, inspiration struck. He reached into his jacket's inside pocket and pulled out his CTU ID badge. For once, he was glad that he hadn't had time to go home after work. An idea slowly began to take shape in his head. He stuffed his badge back into his jacket and walked toward an officer near the side of the checkpoint. He didn't want to draw too much attention to himself.

"Excuse me, sir, you have to wait in the back of the line," the officer told him, gesturing to an obscenely long line winding back as far as the eye could see. Bill calmly pulled his badge out of his jacket.

"Bill Buchanan, director of the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit," he said, showing the officer his ID. The officer immediately straightened slightly.

"Mr. Buchanan," he said quickly. "What can I do for you, sir?" Bill vaguely noted how official credentials immediately earned you respect.

"I need to be able to wait at gate A5 for the American Airlines flight landing in twenty minutes," Bill replied. He figured that his best bet was to give away as little information as possible. He had never been the most convincing liar, and he needed to keep his story simple if he was going to pull this off. Fortunately, Bill's credibility seemed to be the last thing on the officer's mind.

"Is there a problem that I should know about?" he asked Bill nervously. Everyone had been on their toes since the terrorist attacks, and CTU didn't often get involved in airport security.

"No, there is no immediate problem here, officer," Bill assured him. "However, there is a key witness pertaining to the terrorist attacks over the past few months arriving on that flight. CTU wanted me to meet her at the gate to ensure her safe arrival." _So far so good, Buchanan,_ he thought anxiously.

"Where's your team?"

"We can't risk putting her life in danger by drawing attention to her arrival," Bill quickly lied. "She is a highly valuable witness, and we don't want anyone unnecessary to know that she's arriving."

The officer looked for a second like he was trying to calculate the validity of Bill's story. When he decided that it met his requirements, he nodded. "Let me just call this in to headquarters and you'll be all set."

Bill stopped him before he could do so. "No, this has to stay off the record. That's the only way to ensure that she remains safe." The officer looked like he was going to fight Bill on this for a second. He didn't like going against protocol. On the other hand, this guy was the director of CTU, and if had learned one thing through his experience in law enforcement, it was that you did not mess with CTU. This swayed the officer to push aside his concerns about breaking protocol and he consented.

"Fine," he said. "If you need any help, though, I'm going to have to call it in."

"That won't be necessary, officer. Thank you," Bill replied. The officer let him pass through the checkpoint and Bill breathed a sigh of relief. He checked his watch again. 4:15.

* * *

Karen sat on the plane, anxiously waiting for it to land. Ever since the end of the terrorist attacks, she had been trying to get on the first flight home that she could. She almost asked President Palmer if she could take a military transport back to Los Angeles, but when the alert level was lowered and commercial flights resumed operation, there was no need to take military transport. Besides, she found that American Airlines was much more reliable at getting her home on time than the military. 

The six hour flight from Ronald Reagan National Airport to LAX had been one of the most relaxing flights Karen had ever been on. Not that she enjoyed flying, because she usually tried to avoid it whenever possible. However, for the first time in months, Karen found herself being able to relax and not think about work. The terrorist attacks were over. All of the ring leaders in the attacks were either dead or in custody. And, most importantly, this flight was taking her home to Bill.

She tried not to act like a teenager with a crush, but she could hardly contain her excitement about returning home to her husband. It had been three months since they had seen each other, and Karen found herself extremely anxious. Would he be the same as she had remembered him? Would _she_ be the same as he had remembered _her_? These questions and more floated in her thoughts as the plane flew her ever closer to Bill.

Finally, the plane touched down in Los Angeles. In the row next to her, Karen noticed a six-year-old boy tugging on his mother's sleeve.

"Mommy, can we get off now?" he asked anxiously.

"Not yet, Andy, we have to wait until we get to the gate," his mother replied patently.

"But why? I want to get off now!" Andy whined. His mother just gave him a stern look and he pouted, looking out the window.

Karen smiled. She had to side with little Andy on this one. Taxiing to the gate seemed to take hours. She craned her neck a little to see how close they were out the window. Soon, however, the plane stopped and the captain turned off the "Fasten Seat Belts" sign. Karen immediately stood up and opened the overhead compartment. _Thank goodness for aisle seats,_ she thought. She quickly gathered her carry-on luggage and rushed to exit the plane.

Karen was able to beat most of the crowds off of the plane and into the terminal. She quickly looked for a sign to the baggage claim. The sooner that she got there, the sooner she could leave and find Bill. When she talked to him before boarding her flight, he had said that he would meet her outside of the security checkpoint when she arrived. The only thing on her mind at the moment was getting outside of that security checkpoint.

She found the sign to the baggage claim and started to head in that direction. Suddenly, she heard a voice right behind her that stopped her in her tracks.

"Hey there, stranger."

Karen whipped around and found herself a foot away from Bill. He wore a huge grin across his face, one that widened as Karen's face was transformed from one of surprise to one of utter joy.

"Oh my God, Bill!" she cried as she dropped her bag by her feet and threw her arms around Bill's neck. Bill wrapped his arms around his wife and buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent.

"I love you," Bill whispered into her ear, placing a kiss on her cheek. Karen pulled back so that she could see Bill's face. Their eyes locked for a moment before Karen leaned forward to place a kiss on his lips. It was a slow, lingering kiss that warmed Bill's entire body. God, he had almost forgotten what it was like to feel and taste her lips on his. In that kiss, however, it all came rushing back, like picking up a familiar book off the shelf and dusting it off to find that it is just as exciting now as it was when you first read it.

All too soon, Karen pulled away. "I love you too," she said, smiling widely. Bill grinned and gave her another quick kiss before resting his forehead against hers.

"So how was your flight?" he asked.

"Too long. The whole time, I kept thinking about how I wanted to be here." Bill placed another lingering kiss on her lips.

"I'm so glad you are here," he said softly. "But as much as I want you here, I don't want to be here, in this airport, much longer," Bill continued, motioning to the busy travelers around them. This elicited a quiet laugh from Karen, who became aware of their surroundings for the first time since seeing Bill. She pulled away from her husband long enough to grab her bag that she had dropped. Bill came up beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side.

"Now, let's find the baggage claim and get out of here," he said as they walked down the terminal. This comment brought to Karen's mind something that didn't quite make sense.

"Honey, I have a question," she said casually, turning her head to Bill.

"Mmm?"

"How did you get to the gate to meet me?" Karen made sure that she didn't sound accusatory, just casually curious. Bill's only response was to grin and kiss the side of her head.

"A magician never gives away his secrets," he replied jokingly. When he offered no other explanation, however, Karen continued.

"No, I'm serious. How did you get through security?"

"I pulled a few strings," Bill answered. Karen couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh God, what did you tell them?"

"Honestly, I showed them my CTU badge and told them that I needed to meet someone at gate A5," he replied. "That's all there was to it."

"That's it?" Karen asked disbelievingly.

"Well, I also told them that you were a key witness in the events of one week ago, and that your security would be in danger if they told anyone that I was meeting you," he added. Karen frowned.

"Isn't there some rule in the books against doing that?" she asked cautiously.

"Probably," Bill replied nonchalantly. "But there was no way that I could wait on the other side of that checkpoint until you came out." Karen just shook her head as they approached the baggage claim.

The couple waited together as bags started to come around the carousel. Bill wrapped his arms around Karen from behind and started to kiss whatever part of her he could find.

"Bill, we're in public," she hissed to him, trying to get him to act appropriately. His only response was a muffled "So?" from the crook of her neck. She swatted his arm as her suitcase came around the carousel. Bill turned his attention away from his wife and grabbed her suitcase. He wrapped his arm around her waist again, and they quickly set off to the parking garage.

As they came within sight of the security checkpoint, Bill slid his hand from Karen's waist to the small of her back. When she looked up questioningly, he muttered, "Got to look professional." Karen had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes.

"You are such a hypocrite," she muttered, just loudly enough for him to hear her, as they walked past the TSA officer who had stopped Bill. The officer only nodded at Bill, who walked past without seeming to notice him. When they were out of eyesight of the checkpoint, Bill returned his hand to its original position.

"You didn't mention that this 'key witness' that you were meeting also happened to be your wife, did you?" Karen asked, her voice thick with amusement. Bill shook his head.

"I saw no reason to give away more information than necessary," he defended.

"Well, technically, you didn't give away any information since the story you gave wasn't true."

"'Truth' is a very vague concept, dear," Bill replied. Karen laughed lightly and leaned against her husband.

"All right, you win."

Finally, they found Bill's black Ford Explorer parked among the sea of cars in the garage. They piled Karen's bags in the back before Karen moved to take a seat on the passenger side. Before she could get there, however, Bill gently grabbed her arm and spun her around. He lowered his lips to meet hers in a deeper kiss than before. Immediately, Karen responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss even further. Time seemed irrelevant as they kissed, both trying to re-familiarize themselves with that which they had missed for far too long. It was the laughter of two children down the aisle of cars that brought them back to reality. They both thanked God for the large Hummer blocking them from the view of the approaching family. Karen grinned and looked up into Bill's crystal blue eyes.

"I guess we should continue this at home," she whispered playfully.

"Yeah." Bill opened the passenger side door and Karen slid in. Bill quickly went around the car and got into the driver's seat. He reached across the center console and took Karen's hand in his. He brought it up to his lips briefly before starting the car.

"If I speed, I can probably get us home in twenty minutes," he said, a suggestion implied in there somewhere. Bill glanced sideways to gauge his wife's reaction.

A smile split across Karen's face. "Speed away," she said grinning.

Bill pulled out of the parking space, stepping on the gas a little harder than either had expected and lurching them forward. Karen laughed wholeheartedly, sending Bill into peals of laughter. The couple drove away from LAX, both of them happy that the months of incredibly long days away from each other were finally over.

**The End**


End file.
